THROWING EVERYTHING I OWN OUT IN 2024 / Decluttering, Organizing, & Cleaning! Whole House Declutter 

We recycled/donated what we could, it’s just more dramatic to show the trash bag 😊

I LOVE that you called out Temu as a place you won't be shopping from anymore. I literally said out loud "good for you, girl!". Proud of your stance!

Freeing up my cords: I zip tied all of them individually and put them in a bowl. For 6 months as I needed cords I found them and used them and labeled them with electric tape and snipped off the zip tie. Anything still zip tied after 6 months were thrown away. 🎉

My mom always put photos like that on the insides of cupboards. Out of sight, but seriously, every time you open the cupboards you see your loved ones looking back at you. ❤

Really respect your position on Temu. I have been disappointed in The # of you tube people taking sponsorships with them. When something is that cheap there’s a reason - child labor, poor business practices etc. let’s not support that just to get cheap crap.

My grandma always cut the front off Christmas cards and used that for her gift tags. Beautiful and I do it, too now. 😊

Yah I'm doing exactly the same!!! Being the most ruthless I've ever been 9 carloads to charity and 6 trips to the recycling centre so far!!!!! Feels GREAT 👍👍 Love from Yorkshire England xx

Y’all. On trash day there were 10 black 33gal bags on my curb. 3 days later I have a growing mound of bags in garage where my suv is supposed to be. It feels amazing to pack bags out!! I can’t wait for the trash truck again!!!! Getting healthy!!!

I am a very organized person and I have a junk drawer. I thought everyone did LOL :) A tip my sister gave me is when you see something on Amazon that you like (but don't really need) put it in your wish list. When people ask you what you want for your birthday and/or Christmas, you will have ideas to give them. So many of us have so much stuff sometimes it is hard to come up with ideas.

GOOD FOR YOU about standing your ground about showing what a real house looks like. Social media can be soooo toxic. These individuals that create social media just to sell things and make money off them do more harm than good for the general population. As beings we are so easily manipulated. Whatever happened to being grateful for the things we already have? As a society we are living for "things" rather than living our life.

I hear you with Amazon. So easy, convenient. My rule is when I add it to cart I wait at least 24 hrs till I purchase. Has stopped many many unneeded buys. Thanks for the motivation!

I pray when you say ‘throw away’ you mean donate. Trash is trash but there are things that can be donated to help others.❤

It bothers me when people throw stones. Your junk drawer is fabulous! I have so many weird odds & ends that I need in my kitchen. Can we not criticize this wonderful woman. You are so helpful to me who could be your mother.

You are so right about Temu, shopping and decorating. We end up with too much stuff and end up having to declutter and throw stuff away. If you teach your kids now to pick up their toys before going to bed by the time they are six they will do a really good job without complaining. It will save you years of extra work and even more important they will know how to take care of their things and keep their houses clean and organized when they have homes.

Quick tip: Fill the dishwasher soap dispenser BEFORE loading dirty dishes and you’ll never need to wipe it clean again! I used to always have to wipe out the soap dispenser before adding soap and then I had this epiphany one day. I know it seems backwards but now I load my soap first and then the dishwasher and my soap dispenser is always clean and dry. It’s now become a habit and it saves me a tiny bit of time and effort every day 😊

I just wish that there was a clip at the end of this video showing the before and after. For me the before and after part is the most satisfying part of any decluttering/organizing videos👌

I agree, totally with revisiting a space, I Declutter a space and think I’ve decluttering all I can but then I go back through it and Declutter more and go back through it and Declutter more it’s like pilling an onion you do it layer by layer. Love your video!💗

Just found your channel and enjoyed this video! I'm a professional organizer and we call junk drawers "multi-purpose drawers" instead. We definitely always make one for clients in their kitchens or utility rooms because there's always going to be that kind of odds and ends stuff that needs an organized, easily-accessible home!

Started my house today. We did our bedroom and took 8 trash bags of stuff out for trash or donation. It honestly feels so nice.

Wow, very satisfying drawer clean outs! And of course we all have and need a junk drawer!!! I agree with you on Temu and home decor creating unnecessary clutter. We don’t need more stuff!

I am of the opinion that a junk drawer is most definitely the “proper home” for those things!!!

Declutttering videos like this show to me that as a person with similar clutter, I AM capable of decluttering and having an easier life! Your video especially made me feel so much better about myself and that there is nothing morally wrong about me for having clutter!

I knew I was in the right place when she said “ruthless declutter” That’s how I’m feeling!

I've decided 2024 is my big organizing/decluttering year so I'm excited to hear you are doing the same thing..... I look forward to seeing all your videos doing it.

I love what you said about home decor. My husband &I are retired. I love to decorate like anyone, but the videos I have seen are over the top. It’s nice to move a few things around & reuse, but to change with every trend is not realistic. Hope to spend my money on more travel & going to see my sons, & grands that live out of state.

Label your cords! I found after having my son that EVERYTHING came with a cord 😂 sound machine, room thermometer, pump, nightlight and 20 other things we already owned that all have their own charging cables so any time I buy something and it has one I use those long thin rectangle labels and stick them to the cord and write what it goes to. Just put the cord in the centre of the label and fold the label in half and stick it to itself. You could also use washi or another paper tape. They live in a drawer divider in my craftroom so if something needs charging I know where to find the cables. I have a baby gate on the door because the room is one big choke hazard and have a power strip with multiple usb ports so our 13 month old has no access to it ❤

We call our junk drawer the “Handy Essentials” drawer. I find this more accurately describes what is in the drawer, as it really isn’t junk! 😊

I'm so happy that you mention the need to have a junk drawer and how people sometimes tend to criticize other people's decisions on how to organize their home based on their needs. If you need that space to put all the things you may need at a certain moment, then go for it. It's your house and you choose where and how to store your stuff 💪

Saying not to have a junk drawer is practically un-American! 😂😂 I not only love having a junk drawer but I love the little discoveries I make when I periodically clean it out.

I really enjoyed this video. It's so refreshing to see a real person who lives a real life where the home is not just a showplace and things aren't always perfect. Social media does cause people to think their homes and things aren't good enough and that they need to constantly spend money to compete with others.

I use my received Christmas cards for next year’s Christmas gift tags. Just collect the front of the card, use a pair of pinking scissors around the picture you want to use, put a hole punch at the top to thread the tie through it, bingo ready to use 😊

It absolutely makes no sense why people would say if your organized, you wouldn’t have a junk drawer! If you want to access more than one category of item in the same room, you absolutely need to set up and organize a ‘junk drawer’! I like all your little bins you have inside the drawer to organize all those different little things! 👍

Love the comment about home decor. Make your home what YOU want it to be. I don’t need more decor to store and switch out by season.

Hi. I have recently put old cards, random photos, children’s drawings, old tickets etc in ring binders with plastic pockets. It’s great! It’s all stored together, doesn’t take up much space and is easy to look through but out of the way. Now it’s a place to put those things, so they don’t live in piles everywhere!

Great video, Catherine! Thanks for kicking TEMU to the curb, I hope more folks do the same. BTW, just as queens don't sweat, we "glisten," domestic goddesses don't have "junk drawers." They're "utility drawers," and yes we totally need them, lol! :D

I like your idea of a junk drawer in the kitchen. It is so practical and time saving.

In Finland we recykle paper, boxes, plastic, metal, glas, old food. Everything IS resycled. Empty bottles we get money back from

Tip for your cords: if you know what its for, put it with that item (or use a velcro zip tie and write the name of the item it goes with). For the ones you don't know what they go to, put them in a box together. If you find yourself with an item that is missing a cord go look in that box. Anything still sitting there after a given amount of time (perhaps 6 months) gets tossed. At that point you clearly didn't need it. And if you find youself feeling "what if"-y about it, remember you can probably buy a replacement for cheap if you REALLY need to (but the odds of that are so low).

I have found when I deep clean I set a goal to fill two bags: one for trash and one to donate. This really helps my mindet to be in the positive. Create a goal that's tangible.

Just found your channel and subscribed. Long-time minimalist here. For your cords, I suggest putting them in a photo box and label it “mystery cords.” Set it out of the way and date it for 6 months into the future. If you haven’t needed the cords by that date, toss the contents and put the box back in rotation.

I keep all my cards. I'm 62 and have birthday cards from 8 yrs, mother's day cards from my children, now all my mother's mothers day cards, all my get well, thank yous and xmas cards. I save the envelopes with stamps, I keep all in decorative boxes according to the theme. I love reading the signatures of those gone forever, and when I am down I will read my Mother's Day cards from my kids and grands. I use hat boxes and stack them in my craft room.

I store the christmas cards inside one of the boxes with the christmas decor so every year when I'm decorating I get to go over those cards and remember :)

New to your videos. The use of using large acrylic trays as slide outs for all my lower cabinets was so helpful. I can see what’s hidden in the back..I really wanted drawers but it’s a cheap solution, for now. Some trays have handles. Hope this helps helps

I love your message about not getting all caught up in social media craziness. 👍😎

I have 4 junk drawers!! They are all organized and useful. I love them!😃

Marie kondo would say the purpose of the card has been served as soon as you have recieved and read it, so to thank it and declutter it. The person who sent it cant remember what they wrote or that they even sent one. They especially dont know if you kept it or not. So read it, smile and feel the love then move it on. For cords i find what theyre for, i bundle them up and write "baby monitor charger" etc on it and put it in a drawer specifically for cords which is the top drawer of the computer desk since that makes sense as its a tech area. I do the same with cords hanging down behind tv cabinets and bedside tables. I tag them with "lamp" "alarm clock" etc so if i go down to unplug or move one thing im not losing my mind 😂

In my entire life, we have always had a junk drawer. My parents, grandparents, and me. They are essential!

I bought from Temu after seeing other youtube videos. Most of it was junk. I did buy a few new Christmas decor pieces, but I then decluttered the same amount of decor. I once put a bunch of unknown cords in a paper bag with a date. One year later, out they went! When I want something on Amazon, I put it in the cart, but I don't go further. I check the cart in a couple days. I might move some things to my wish list or leave in the cart, or delete entirely. I also want to stop buying so much from the dollar stores. And cut down on new crafts -- I have enough current crafts to do! Happy 2024 to you and your family :)

Great video! Catherine, please don't take this wrong... I think you have "matured" soo much since starting your channel! I am sincerely impressed!!!

Love this video!! Great thoughts, great content! I am 70 and I grew up with a junk drawer back in olden days!😉It’s a great access for frequently used items! It is refreshing to have your very honest and real life view of life! YOU GET IT!!! ♥️ Looking forward to your next video!!

The best way to simplify this video into one word is SMART. You make so much sense In how you feel about getting rid of things. Your video was my inspiration to tackle a few projects in my home 🙌. So thank you 💖

I love your truth and honestly! People need to live up to their own standards.

Ordering online.. Put in basket, look in basket after a day, "do I want it ?" Yes !! "do I need it" NO . Delete contents of basket 😁

I used to save old Christmas cards for crafting for my kids the following year. I put them in a ziplock. They loved cutting out pictures and making gifts for grandparents, etc. A piece of poster board, shoe box, ext. And a glue stick. Nice & easy.

You don’t need to keep any instruction manuals. They are all online! If you are worried, find the manual online and save the pdf and then throw away the paper copy. 😊

Old fashioned, go to the library, its free, check out books and movies. Reading books in the evening is a great way to de stress and limit screen time.

I think EVERYONE needs to have a junk drawer!! I do declutter it frequently but you’re right. We don’t always have a spot for everything!!

Home decor has been off my list for such a long time. My house looks the same except for Christmas and our birthdays. I reuse decor that I have or give it away if I haven’t used it.

I did a 13 gallon bag today. It’s in the car right now. Last year I donated 8 x at the local thrift store. Salvation Army gets too much. Please donate at your local thrift stores. Stay could use that donations. You can also give things to take cares and public schools. Teachers always need school supplies, papers, pens, and storage containers. Just let them know.

I love junk drawers and I always keep mine pretty organized. We did a massive declutter yesterday and it feels so liberating!❤

I have long work/travel hours and little energy when I'm home, but my goal is this year to do a minimum of 20 minutes of SOME cleaning/decluttering at home per day. I have a huge list and I pick something from it every day. If it's a task that takes me several days, then so be it. One part of my hallway is already completely clean. The other part still needs work. Bathroom cabinet is completely cleaned out, wiped, and partially decluttered. I hope to finish the bathroom project tonight.

This is the most realistic declutter of a house! Thank you for a great video!❤️

I hope you donated a lot of that garbage bag. I know there are people who just throw things away, but that's bad for the landfill, plus why not let the items be used again. Use the boxes you were breaking down in the beginning to have Donate, Recycling, and trash boxes. Be sure to shred paperwork that contains applications or sensitive data, like account numbers. I would take your little photo box off the counter, and put it in your cabinet with your file box. Label your cables, and put them there, too. Call your junk drawer an office drawer, utility drawer, or an efficiency drawer (since it makes you more efficient)!

New subscriber, great video. We want to move in 5 years or less so i am in a decluttering phase and this year watching others to get ideas and keep my motivation up.

Great video! You might be able to toss the manuals....a lot if not all of that should be online! I recently tossed a bunch of my old manuals and it felt great! Also, having a junk drawer is SO normal. Forget about those nasty comments-everyone needs a junk drawer!

a Junk Drawer is a MUST!!!! I have always had one, even growing up. It's always been in the kitchen too!!!! I love this story. I am on this same journey, of decluttering and Purging!

My house is totally a disaster but I started declutterring my pictures 😂 what I’m doing is uploading my pictures on my Alexas and putting the “hard copies” in a fireproof folder in my basement. So far it’s been working out great because now I see my favorite pictures more often ❤️

Happy New Year Catherine! This is such a great video! It really is so crazy to see how much we order from Amazon just for the pure convenience of it and not necessarily because we need the item. I am hoping to reduce the amount of things I purchase this year in general because it adds up so quickly! Have a great day!

I've had a junk drawer as long as I can remember. But it's also organized like yours. My mom was the type without a junk drawer. I whole heartedly believe it comes down to who we are as individuals . Nothing to do with being messy or lazy. There's always going to be the ones you can't make happy. I love your honesty & how you make it very clear you're not going to be like all the "perfect " people. Keep up that energy. Have a great day 😊

I can relate to everything you say. I have bought too much stuff and no place to put it. I never thought I would be a hoarder. That’s what I am. I’ve been going thru a depression for 5-6 years and can’t shake it. I know that’s why I I stopped keeping up with my home and buying more stuff than I need and not putting things away. Everyday I say I’m going to start clearing but something stops me from doing it.

I absolutely loved this video! Decluttering videos are my favorite. It gave so much motivation and inspiration!

Label your cords as soon as you get any new gadgets. This way you know what they’re for. If you have multiples of the cables for iPhones for instance, just keep a few in a storage box labeled extra cords and this way you’ll know where they are. I like asking the question if I needed this where would I look for it first. If you would never remember you have it then just recycle it because you’ll probably buy another one. I know it seems wasteful but 🤷‍♀️. I put friends pictures in an album or scrapbook and then you can go look through it when the mood strikes. Probably not best to keep it on your valuable counter. 😉 Junk drawers, no junk drawers here, I call it a utility drawer or misc drawer. Because they are full of useful stuff. 😊

Christmas cards I recycle. A card’s job is to be received and that’s it. I used to keep birthday cards but if you keep every card from every year you’ll have a pile of stuff you never look at. How many cards do you need to keep to represent each person? You’re loved ones won’t love you any less without the item. You won’t forget you loved ones without it either. I keep birthday cards up for a week, Xmas cards until I take down the decorations but it all goes in recycling. Those sort of drawers I don’t call junk drawers because it’s not junk. Junk drawers are when you never declutter and just chuck it in a drawer so you don’t have to deal with it. What you have is a drawer for regularly used items. We have a drawer that I call the household drawer because thats the category I see that stuff belonging to. They are items either for house maintenance or to be used around the house. You could also call it the utility drawer.

I usually have a declutter session every new year but haven’t yet. Thanks for the inspiration!

Wow, you got a lot done! I really enjoy waking up to a picked up house. Picking up at night is my new hobby.

Yay, so happy for you!! Peace and order. Love it.❤

I keep a photo album of all the Christmas photo cards that I receive. I enjoy looking back to see how much everyone has grown.

I just found you! I decluttered last year, and I didn't find you then, but now I need motivation to do it all again so I've subscribed. I keep cards only for about a week. Someone mentioned cutting them up for gift tags, and I've done that, but so many people send family photos now. You can't cut out a picture of someone else's family and attach it to a gift! I am looking forward to a new grandson or granddaughter in the next 3 weeks, so that is a great start to 2024. I've also joined WW and am in day 33 and loving it! Planning on decluttering just like you, a drawer or shelf at a time. Happy New Year!

I love the little filing box. that is great and so compact.

Woot woot! You’re the best and one of my favorites to watch 🥰 Great progress! I’ll be doing some of this decluttering for the New Year after we have a little weekend get away for our anniversary in the Adirondacks this weekend ❤️ I need to recharge first, haha

you should toss the cords (you will never use them!) and all the paper (unless super important, then you should scan and save), especially instructions. you can google them. sometimes it also helps to do an initial purge and then revisit every room the next day and get even more ruthless. good luck!

I'm so Proud of you. Seeing you going threw all drawers. This Motivating me Thanks for sharing

A junk drawer is a necessity! I have two of them, and they are completely organized. I love knowing where to find tape measures, small screwdrivers, scissors, etc. It works!!

Great video and real!! The majority of us cannot afford to keep up with all the trends and most of us definitely have junk drawers lol. With that being said, my goal is to definitely organize as well this weekend so this video is super helpful without making me feel shame 😅

This gave me motivation to want to declutter even though I just went through the whole house and just finished editing to post my videos on my own youtube channel =). Thank you for providing so much inspiration. You did a great job. Maybe I'll take away even more now after watching your video. 😂

Memories in a memory box in my wardrobe

Tip to save time, there is no need to wash dishes before you put them through the dishwasher. Scrape any food debris but no need for washing first. 😊

For the cords, I use a label maker, smallest print, and type out what it's for.

I adore home improvement content but as an Australian (ex pat South African) I'm always astonished at the decorating for every season. 😮It must be fun but exhausting! I couldn't do it. We do Christmas and even that is tiring. Bear in mind that we're always boiling alive in the heat. Good idea to cut yourself some slack.

My New Year’s resolution is to only buy “Needs” & not “Wants”. I’m having a decluttering year. Not just nicknacks, but furniture & stuff stored in my loft. I’m 70, I have a lifetime of stuff, I think for me it’s what’s known as the Swedish death clean or something like that, instead of leaving it all for your family to deal with. I’ve already sold some ornaments & future, so there’s a benefit to it too. The rest is either trash or charity.

So interesting to hear you talk about changing decor etc. Nobody I know in the UK decorates for spring, or autumn or anything other than Christmas and maybe Halloween. A junk drawer is absolutely fine - the key is to know what is in there!

Great video, Catherine 👍. I just ordered the file box you have. Everyone has a junk drawer. Not all are organized, but you need that miscellaneous drawer. Ours holds our keys, pens, gum, candy, screwdriver, etc. Take care, and Happy New Year 🎉

TIP: For all your homeless cords, put them all in a mason jar and store on a kitchen shelf for easy access.

I've always had a junk drawer that always needs decluttering with large families. I put all cords and label them with small stickers so I know if we still have that item. I keep them in a box in a drawer so everyone knows to look if they need one. Thanks for the motivation!

Yesss Mama. I’m right behind you with the decluttering. Especially kitchenware. I have so many baking pans, it’s embarrassing. I have a big garage and still no space to keep stuff. Yes. Girl. Good for you. ❤❤❤

I was so excited to finally hear a RU-vidr who has purchased from temu call them out 🎉

I gather all the cords I’m not sure about into one place, then I compare all the ends together and sort by type. Once I see how many of each I have, I will get rid of ones I have too many duplicates of. Especially when I don’t know what it’s for, if I need it I’ll probably never need more than one, but I may keep at least two of each type. Obviously I have more than two for things like phone chargers, but if you don’t know what it goes to, then you probably don’t use whatever it goes to and could maybe even get away with getting rid of all the ones you don’t know what they are for, possibly.

Have been decluttering for the new year and it feels so good! I recycled a ton of metal and got over $150.00 cash which made me very happy. All the extra cords I get my husband to go through with me and we a small three drawer storage in our office if we need a cord. Still have a lot of decluttering to do but it feels good to have a start for the new year!

I just found your channel today and came from one of your most recent videos and can I just say you’ve done so good! Your house doesn’t even look like the same house. I’ll enjoy watching your progress from the start of the year until real time 😃 Amazing progress!

Great video. I love my junk drawer.